The document discusses FORGE, a project that aims to enhance eLearning and research in ICT through remote experimentation. FORGE seeks to transform existing FIRE facilities, which are vital for European research, into a learning resource for higher education. It does this by developing methodologies and best practices for offering FIRE experimentation facilities to learners. FORGE will enable educators to easily create experiment-based learning resources using FIRE platforms and tools. It has produced an interactive electronic book containing networking courses that utilize remote FIRE facilities to introduce networking concepts.

1. ENHANCING
ELEARNING
AND
RESEARCH
IN
ICT
THROUGH
REMOTE
EXPERIMENTATION
Johann
M.
Marquez-­‐Barja
(marquejm@tcd.ie),
Guillaume
Jourjon,
Alexander
Mikroyannidis,
Christos
Tranorios,
John
Domingue
and
Luiz
A.
DaSilva
EDUCON Conference, 3-5 April, 2014
Istanbul, Turkey

2. Forging
Online
EducaLon
through
FIRE
(FORGE)
FORGE
is
a
project
bringing
the
FIRE
and
eLearning
worlds
together.
In
parLcular,
FORGE
will
align
FIRE
(Future
Internet
Research
and
ExperimentaLon)
with
the
ongoing
educaLon
revoluLon
as
found
for
example
in
MOOCs.
FORGE
will
specify
development
methodologies
and
best
pracLces
for
offering
FIRE
experimentaLon
faciliLes
to
learners
and
to
the
learning
community
in
general.
The
project
will
lead
to
a
strong
connecLon
between
the
learning
community
and
exisLng
FIRE
plaTorms
and
supporLng
tools.

3. Future
Internet
Research
ExperimentaLon
(FIRE)
• FIRE
iniLaLve
is
a
European
endeavour
that
promotes
the
creaLon
of
wide-­‐scale
federaLons
of
high-­‐
performance
testbed
and
experimentaLon
faciliLes
for
internet
and
network-­‐related
research.
• 20
million
EUR
investment

4. FORGE
goals
• FORGE
aims
to
transform
the
FIRE
faciliLes,
already
vital
for
European
research,
into
a
learning
resource
for
higher
educaLon,
enabling
educators
to
easily
create
experiment-­‐based
learning
resources
• From
an
educaLonal
perspecLve
FORGE
promotes
the
noLon
of
Self-­‐
Regulated
Learning
(a.k.a.
independent
learning
or
auto-­‐didacLc
learning)
• FORGE
allows
educators
to
create,
use
and
re-­‐use
FIRE-­‐based
learning
experiences
through
our
tools
and
techniques
• FORGE
enables
equity
of
access
to
the
latest
ICT
systems
and
tools
independent
of
locaLon
and
at
low
cost.
Experimental
faciliLes
are
expensive!!!

5. FORGE
technologies
• Social
networking
technologies
• Enabling
learners
and
educators
to
create
paths
from
online
resources
• SupporLng
collaboraLon
amongst
learners.
• InteracLve
eBooks
• Rich
mulLmedia
• InteracLve
widgets
to
run
large-­‐scale
experiments
• Linked
data
supporLng:
• Delivery
of
learning
material
• Discovery
of
learning
material
through
semanLc
links

6. Elearning
plaTorms
and
networking
testbeds
• ExperimentaLon
is
a
key
concept
in
engineering
educaLon
• FaciliLes
usually
costly
to
implement
and
to
maintain
• Remote
laboratories
provide
remote
access
to
experiments
allowing
students
to
access
experiments
without
Lme
and
locaLon
restricLons
Self
regulated
learning
• Learners
benefit
greatly
from
construcLvist
or
learning-­‐by-­‐doing
approaches
• Individual’s
ability
to
learn
how
to
learn.
Psycho-Pedagogical Integration Model

7. FORGE
architecture
• Linked
data
•
Delivery
and
navigaLon
of
learning
materials
• Widget
store
• Storing,
sharing
interacLve
widgets
for
experimentaLon
• Interfacing
FIRE
faciliLes
• Booking,
using,
configuring
the
FIRE
testbeds
to
perform
the
experiments

8. Lab
course
design
process
FORGEBox
Lab Course
resources
Button
Button
txt
txt
Lab
Course
descripLons
LC
designer
Import
LCs
FORGEBox
control panel
FORGE repository
LCs
Widgets
FIRE
AdaptaLons
Administer
Widgets layer
FIRE Adaptations layer
Widget
Widget
Widget
Adapter
Adapter
Adapter
Import
widgets
Import
Adapters
Get
LC
descripLon
Get
widget
Content
(HTML5/
JSON)
FIRE
Testbed
InteracLve
Content
(JSON/
XML)
FORGEBox
managing services
FRCP/SFA/SSH

9. ResulLng
widgets
+
iBook

10. Early
prototypes
• FORGE
has
released
a
first
version
of
an
interacLve
electronic
book
for
the
iPad
and
MacOS.
The
book
contains
a
number
of
networking
courses
produced
by
FORGE
that
use
FIRE
faciliLes
for
introducing
basic
networking
concepts
to
the
reader/learner.
The
materials
provided
in
this
book
include
course
text
and
interacLve
mulLmedia,
real
equipment
labs,
remote
access
testbeds,
as
well
as
different
types
of
learning
acLviLes.
• (Live
Demo
of
the
iBook
at
EDUCON,
if
connecLvity
at
the
venue
is
available)

11. FORGE
Networking
courses
iBook

12. FORGE
Networking
courses
iBook

13. FORGE
Networking
courses
iBook

14. FORGE
Networking
courses
iBook

15. FORGE
Networking
courses
iBook

16. Gebng
involved
with
FORGE
• As
a
student
• As
a
facilitator/teacher
• As
a
designer/teacher

17. Take
away
message
• FORGE
studies
and
develops
new
processes
to
online
learning
enhanced
by
remote
experimentaLon
on
high-­‐performance
testbed
faciliLes
• FORGE
reinforces
and
complements
the
tradiLonal
online
courses
with
interacLve
online
hands-­‐on
laboratories
• FORGE
enables
equity
of
access
to
the
latest
ICT
systems
and
tools
independent
of
locaLon
and
at
low
cost.
• FORGE
strengths
the
culture
of
online
experimentaLon
tools
and
remote
faciliLes.

18. More
informaLon…
www.ict-­‐forge.eu
info@ict-­‐forge.eu
Download
our
Networking
courses
iBook
for
free!
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for
research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no. 610889